# Scimitar oryx (*Oryx dammah*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/scimitar-oryx  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The scimitar oryx (Oryx dammah), also called the Algazel, North African oryx or Scimitar-horned oryx, is a mammal in the family Bovidae, subfamily Antilopinae and tribe Hippotragini. It is a large, terrestrial herbivore with a cathemeral activity pattern, and adults weigh 200 kg. Gestation lasts 247 days, with 1 young per litter and 1.89 litters per year, and sexual maturity is reached at 1.6 years. The IUCN Red List classifies the scimitar oryx as Endangered (EN), a threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 177.5 kg – 200 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 23.6 years |
| Diet | Herbivore |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 27.5 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | desert |
| Gestation | 244 days – 259 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 1 |
| Age at maturity | 18.1 months – 21 months |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1.89 |
| Active | Day and night (cathemeral) |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Conservation status | Endangered (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Artiodactyla
- family: Bovidae
- genus: Oryx
- species: *Oryx dammah* (Cretzschmar, 1827)

Synonyms: *Antilope dammah*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the scimitar oryx?

The scimitar oryx is a mammal in the family Bovidae and the order Artiodactyla. It belongs to the genus Oryx, subfamily Antilopinae and tribe Hippotragini.

### How heavy is a scimitar oryx?

Adult Scimitar oryx weigh 200 kg, placing them in the large size class. The lowest adult body mass reported by our sources is 177.5 kg.

### What does the scimitar oryx eat?

The scimitar oryx is a herbivore. It is a terrestrial animal.

### Is the scimitar oryx endangered?

Yes. The IUCN Red List classifies the scimitar oryx as Endangered (EN) in its global assessment, which is a threatened category.

### How long does a scimitar oryx live?

The scimitar oryx has a lifespan of 23.6 years, with values up to 27.5 years reported by our sources.

### How many young does a scimitar oryx have?

The scimitar oryx has 1 young per litter, with 1.89 litters per year. Gestation lasts 247 days.

### When does the scimitar oryx reach sexual maturity?

The scimitar oryx reaches sexual maturity at 1.6 years (594.5 days), with reported values from 1.5 to 1.7 years.

### Who named the scimitar oryx?

The scientific name Oryx dammah is attributed to (Cretzschmar, 1827).

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Scimitar oryx (Oryx dammah). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/scimitar-oryx